Buoy for locating sunken vessels or the like



F. PARSONS ET A;

BUOY FOR LOGATING SUNKEN VESSELS OR IHELIKE Filed May 5 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 1a, 1925. f 1,549,796

, F. PARSONS ET AL BUOY FOR LOCATING SUNKEN VESSELS OR THE LIKE I m a May 5, 1924 2 sums-slim 2 tion is to provide a fastening forthe buoy releasing means in dotted lines.

Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES FRANK PARSONS AND GOVERNOR D. WARREN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

BUoY non LOCATING- SUNKEN vnssnL-s on THE LIKE.

Application filed May 5, 1924. Serial No. 711,228.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK PARsoNs and Govnnnon D. WARREN, citizens of the United States, residing at Denver, -in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Buoys for Locating] Sunken Vessels or the .like, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

Our inventionrelates to improvements in buoys for locating sunken vessels or the like pertaining more particularly to a buoy which is automatically projected from a container carried upon a vessel, or the like, in the event that the vessel should meet with disaster and sink.

The primary object of our invention is to provide a novel construction of buoy and therefor for locating sunken vessels or the like.

Another object of our invention is to provide a buoy automatically projected from its housing or retaining means.

Another object of our invention is to provide a buoy carried in a containernpon a vessel or the like and to provide an automatic releasing and projecting means for projecting the buoy from the container. Another and further object of our invenhousing cover which automatically releases the cover in the event the vessel should sink.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an automatically projected buoy for locating sunken vessels which is simple of construction, cheap of manufacture and highly efficient in operation.

Other novel features of construction, inn v proved results and ob ects of our lnvention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of our invention, the box or housing being shown in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, the parts in the box being shown Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the box-lock and the mechanism for actushowing the enlarged portion of the piston rod in engagement with the hasp.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing the construction of the piston rod and the hasp.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the hasp, the cylinder and the piston rod.

Referring 110w to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of our.

invention, 10 designates a buoy which is of water-tight construction and may be made of any material desired, non-corrosive metal. preferably. Suitable writing or printing may be carried upon the buoy such as for instance the name of the ship to which the buoy is attached and the letters S. O. 8., which on thehigh' seas designates distress.

The positioningof the buoy upon the vessel is discretionary but of course the buoy should be so placed that in the event the vessel sinks the buoy will float clear of all parts of the ship. As illustrated in the drawings, we have shown a, housing or box 11 suitably fastened by bolts 12 to thejdeck 13 of the vessel. The box 11 is provided with a cover 14 hinged at its lower end as at 15.

As clearly appears the drawings, the

box is of a size to receive the buoy 10 which is supported in the box upon the circular ring 16 which in turn is supported from the bottom of the box by coil springs .17. When the cover 14 of the box is closed upon the buoy it causes the buoy to depress the springs 17, thus putting an upward spring pressure upon the cover 14 of the box.

Suitably fastened to the buoy 10 as at 18 is a cable 19 which isadapted to have its opposite end fastened to the drum 20 which is located and suitably fastened as at 21 in the bottom of the box or housing 11. As clearly appears the drum 20 is rotatably supported between suitable uprights 22.

As the buoy is exerting a constant upward pressure upon the cover 14 of the box due to the springs 17 it is necessary to provide fastening means'for the box cover. Suitably fastened as at 23 upon the front edge of the cover 14 is a hasp 24 which projects outwardly beyond the front edge of the cover and downwardly in front of the box as at 25. The downwardly extending portion 25 of the hasp is provided in its end with a slot 26 which gives entrance to a circular opening 27.

Supported in front of the box 11 upon a suitable bracket 28 is a cylinder 29. A

'mon, with piston rings 42.

piston is mounted in the cylinder and is provided with the usual piston head 30 and piston rod 31. The piston rod 31 extends through the end 32 of the cylinder, its end 33 being adapted to engage and fit within the circular opening 27 of the downwardly extending hasp portion 25. It will be seen that the end of the piston rod being of the same size as the opening 2. can not pass outwardly through the slot 26 and will thus retain the box cover let in closed position. Adjacent the end 33 of the piston rod 3i the rod is provided with a reduced portion 34. Upon any outward movement of the piston and its rod the reduced portion 3% of the rod will enter the circular opening 27 of the hasp and the reduced portion being of a diameter smaller than the width of the slot 26 will release the hasp and thus allow-the box lid to be raised.

Unslaked lime is packed within the cylinder 29 between the piston head 30 and the end 35 or" the cylinder. Carried upon the end 35 of the cylinder is a housing 36 having opentop and bottom and intermediate its length in communication with a chamber 37. The chamber 37 is in the end wall 35 of the cylinder and is provided with a plurality of ports 38 which give access to the lime in the .cylinder.

Mounted within the housing 36and adapted to close its open top and bottom are valves 39 and i0 which are held against their respective seats by a coil spring 11 mounted between them.

The piston head 30'is provided, as is com- To enable the loading of the cylinder with lime the cylinder end 35 is preferablyscrew-threadedly attached to the cylinder as shown at43.

Operation.

When the vessel upon which the buoy is carried putsto sea the buoy 10 is in the box ll'and exerting an upward pressure upon the boxcover l t. The box cover 14 is held closed because of the engagement of theend 33 of the piston rod 31 with the hasp opening 27. The valves 39 and 10 are closed dueto the pressure of the spring 5 .1 and the cylinder is loaded with unslaked lime.

The buoy is of a construction to have a specific gravity of .31 or less. The cable 19 istastened'to the buoy and to the drum 20.

In the event that the vessel founders or sinks water will enter the open ends of the housing 36 above the valves 39 and 40.

When the vessel has submerged to a depth sufficient for the water pressure to overcome the tension of the spring 41 which holds the valves against their seats, he water will enter the chamber 37 and reach the unslalted limethrough the chamber ports 38. Immediately upon the water reaching the unslaked lime the lime will begin to work and'i orm a gas which will force the piston 30 outwardly so that the reduced portion 3 ot' the piston rod will enter the hasp opening 27. Immediately that this takes place the cover 1 of the box 11 is released and the buoy 10 is projected from the box due to the action of the springs 17 below the ring 16 upon which the buoy is seated.

The buoy will rise to the surface of the water carrying with it the cable 19 which will unreel from the drum 20 to which its end is'attached.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a buoy which is automatically projected from the vessel in the event the vessel sinks. It will be readily understood that the buoy will float to the surface of the water and locate or mark the position of the sunken vessel.

It will also be seen that'we have provided a box or housing for the buoy so that the buoy and its mechanism can not be easily tampered with.

We desire it to be understood that modifications can be made in our construction without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Attention is directed to the fact that the springs 17 below the buoy can be of any strength desired so that the speed' and force of the projection of the buoy can be made as desired. In like manner the spring 41 between the valves 39 and 40 can be of any weight or strength so as to make the box cover releasing mechanism operate at. any predetermined depth of submergence.

Our buoy as shown and described is positive of operation andsimple ofconstruction.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising releasing means consisting of a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, means within the cylinder for generating gas by the action of water, the piston having a piston rod interlocking with a hasp member.

2. In a device of the character described, a buoy, a member locking the buoy, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, one end ofthe cylinder having openings and containing unslaked lime, a spring actuated valve con-. trolling the admission of water to the said openings, and the piston acting with the said locking member for releasingthe buoy.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a buoy, locking means for the buoy comprising a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, one end of the cylinder having openings, unslaked lime in the cylinder, the spring actuated valve controlling the admission of water to the said openings, the movement of the piston operating the locking means for releasing the buoy.

4. In a device of the character described, comprising a buoy, means for locking and releasing the said buoy, said means comprising a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, one end of the cylinder having openings, unslaked lime in the cylinder, a spring actuated valve controlling the admission of water to the said openings, a piston rod extending through the end of the cylinder and engaging the looking and releasing mechanism whereby the movement of the piston releases the buoy.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a buoy, means for locking the buoy, said means comprising a hasp member, a cylinder adjacent the hasp member, a piston in the cylinder, one end of the cylinder having openings, unslaked lime in the cylinder, a spring actuated valve controlling the admission of water to the said openings, the piston having a rod projecting through the said cylinder, the extremity of the rod enlarged, and in engagement with the hasp member, whereby the movement of the piston releases the said hasp, for the purpose described.

6. In a device of the character described, a buoy mounted within a container, a lock for said container, comprising a cylinder carrying a piston and piston rod, the piston rod adapted to engage and retain a hasp carried by the container, and unslaked lime carried within the cylinder, for the purpose described.

7. In a device of the character described, a cylinder having mounted therein a piston provided with a piston rod, the rod extending outwardly beyond the cylinder, unslaked lime within the cylinder in front of the piston head, means for allowing the pas sage of water to the lime, and said means adapted to open said passage at a predetermined pressure for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aifix our signatures.

FRANK PARSONS. GOVERNOR D. DARREN. 

